Unexpected
by rose1209
Summary: Haley James Scott returns from the tour with a very unexpected surprise, she's pregnant.
1. Chapter 1

_June 1st, 2005_

Haley James Scott was not sure what she should expect by showing up on his doorstep. Last time they had spoken, he had told her not to come back home to Tree Hill. He had said to her that he didn't want her to come home. He didn't want her here. None of it would ever be enough without him, though. None of the celebrity, none of the applause, none of the beautiful melodies would ever fill the void in her heart that was Nathan. None of it would ever matter without Nathan by her side. He also had a right to know about the other secret she had been keeping.

Haley subconsciously rubs the small bump that was beginning to form on her stomach and tries to work up the courage to knock on the door in front of her. Before she could get the chance though, the door opens. Haley is met with the stunned face of Nathan Scott.

"Hi," Haley says softly.

"What are you doing here?"Nathan asks.

"I wanna come home, Nathan," She tells him, and he appears even more surprised.

Nathan sighs, "This is really bad timing. I-"

Before he can continue, Deb comes rushing towards them.

"Nathan, we have to go!"Deb tells him, walking past Haley towards her car.

"What's going on?"Nathan asks.

"It's urgent! It's your Father! We have to go now!" Deb calls back.

Nathan closes the door behind him and walks past Haley.

"Sorry."He says as he walks past her.

Haley sighs and runs her hand through her hair.

_So much for this._

"Haley!" Deb calls, and Haley looks up. "Come with us,"

Nathan gives no reaction to Deb's words as he gets in the car. Haley jogs towards the car and gets in behind Nathan.

Nathan ignores Haley's presence during the car ride and asks Deb where they were going and what was going on.

They soon arrive in front of Dan Scott motors, and to everybody's horror, it is completely engulfed in flames.

As the three of them stood in front of the burning dealership, Deb points out Dan's car to Nathan and states the fact that he was planning on working late that night.

Haley reaches for Nathan's hand and gently squeezes it. To her surprise, he glances down at their intertwined hands but does not jerk his hand away.

"Mrs. Scott," A fireman addresses Deb.

"My husband was inside," She tells him.

"They didn't tell you? Wait here, "He tells her.

He yells something to the captain, and Dan Scott is brought into sight, an oxygen mask over his face. His eyes scan the three of them, flashing with anger when he spots Haley.

Deb rides to the hospital with Dan while Nathan drives Haley and himself back to the house. The car ride is silent. Upon arriving back at the Scott house, Nathan goes upstairs without a word to Haley.

A little while later, after speaking on the phone to Deb, Haley ventures upstairs to talk to Nathan. She finds him in his bedroom, staring out the window. She can't imagine all of the things that could possibly be going through his mind at the moment between the dealership fire and her surprise return to Tree Hill. She knocks softly, and he turns.

"Hey," She tells him, "That was your Mom. She said she was going to spend the night at the hospital with your dad,"

Nathan laughs without humor "Yeah well maybe we should have a Scott family discount,"

"I'm really sorry, Nathan," Haley says softly.

"About my Dad or about us?"

"About everything"

Nathan shrugs.

"So what are you doing here anyway? Tour playing Tree Hill?"

"No," Haley replies, "They wanted me to become a solo artist. Record a record or something. It didn't matter without you, though. None of it mattered without you."

Nathan had no reply, so she continued "I've made a lot of mistakes Nathan-"

"That's right. If you left the tour for me, you made another one. I'm leaving in the morning. I'm going to High Flyers."

_This wasn't going to make the pregnancy bombshell any easier. _

"Oh well, good. Good, you deserve to have it. You deserve to have whatever you want." She tells him with a soft smile.

He nods.

"Well, listen, there's no more apartment, and I put all of your stuff in storage. So you can spend the night in the guest room if you want,"

Haley nods and turns to walk away from him. She gets halfway to the door and turns back around.

"Nathan, there wasn't a moment when I was away that my heart wasn't with you in Tree Hill.

"That's great," Nathan replies, "I'm still leaving tomorrow, though, and unlike you, I'm taking my heart with me."

With that, Nathan turns back around to face the window. Haley nods and heads towards the guest room.

A little while later, Nathan comes in to check on her.

"I just wanted to make sure you had everything you needed," He tells her.

"You mean other than you," Haley replies without thinking.

She sighs a moment later and apologizes, "Sorry, that wasn't fair."

Nathan doesn't say anything.

"This is really weird, Nathan! You know I can just call Peyton or Lucas or something-"

He cuts her off. "No, Haley it's late. Besides, what's the difference? When you turn the lights out, its all the same darkness, right?"

He moves to leave the room but stops when she says his name.

"Nathan, you know when you took those drugs before the game when you collapsed?"

Nathan looks somewhat curious as to where she is going with this.

"You made a mistake, but I know you promised yourself that if you had a second chance, you would do things differently" Haley continues "I know that I hurt you, but I promised myself that if I could get you to listen I would tell you that there was never a day on that tour that I didn't think you were the best part of my life."

"You can't just say that, Haley. Not after months of silence." Nathan tells her.

"Why? Its the truth."Haley argues.

"Really?"Nathan asks, raising his voice a bit.

"Yeah," Haley says softly.

"What about the day you signed the annulment papers?"Nathan questions.

"The papers that you initiated!?"

"Yeah! After I drove a thousand miles to see you and you didn't even call me after I left! Must have been a hell of an encore!"

"Nathan, you just walked away!"

"Well, it beats running away." Nathan bites back.

"I did call," Haley points out to Nathan a moment later.

"You called our answering machine, Haley!" He exclaims.

"Because I knew that you were gonna hang up on me anyway, so I had to leave a message!" Haley says, raising her voice a bit.

"Well, I didn't even play it," Nathan tells her, intending for his words to hurt her "I deleted you."

Haley sighs, "Well, then you deleted this. I was being childish when I walked away from you for the tour. You gave me an ultimatum the night that I left, and I fought back for all the wrong reasons. And I was being stubborn, and I can't take that back. I wish that I could."

Nathan simply nodded at everything she said. Even though he was showing a lack of care for everything she said, she continued with what she had to say. He needed to hear it even if he didn't want to.

"Did I want to go? Yeah! I loved it! I loved every night of it! But I want you to know something, Nathan. There was _never _a night where I loved it more than I loved you!"

Nathan nods and turns to walk away again. It was now, or never so she said two words she knew he wasn't going to want to hear.

"I'm pregnant."

Nathan stops in his tracks. He turns back around, and Haley sees that all of the color has drained from his face.

"What?" He asks even though he knows he hasn't misheard her.

"I'm pregnant," She repeats herself "Three months."

"Is it mine?" Nathan asks.

Haley doesn't respond. Instead, she walks up to him and slaps him clean across the face. He recoils, looking quite shocked and holds a hand up to the spot where Haley had just slapped him.

"It _really _hurts me that you would even have to ask me that," Haley tells him while holding back tears.

"Not as much as it hurts me, "Nathan says before turning his back on her to walk away.

"Really, Nathan!? You're just going to walk away?!" Haley yells at him.

"Not now, Haley!" He snaps over his shoulder "I just need to process all of this!"

With that, his bedroom door slams shut. Haley falls onto the bed and sobs into the pillow. She knew his reaction was going to be bad, but that didn't make it hurt any less. Somehow Haley is able to pull herself up to put on her pajamas and get ready for bed. At some point, she hears Nathan's door reopen. He doesn't come to check on her, though. He doesn't come to ask how she's been feeling or even if she's okay. Not that she deserves it, but it still stings.

Around 3 AM, after realizing that sleep wasn't going to come, Haley makes the short walk to Nathan's bedroom.

"Are you awake?"Haley softly asks, leaning against his door frame.

"Yeah," Nathan responds softly.

"Will you talk to me, please?" Haley asks, slowly making her way towards his bed.

"I don't know what to say to you Haley," Nathan sighs "Part of me wants to find the right words to hurt you, the same way you hurt me,"

"I am hurting, Nathan."She tells him.

Nathan sits up and looks her in the eyes, "You mean because I made out with Chris? Because I turned my back on us and walked away? Oh, wait? That was you." Nathan lays his head back down on his pillow and looks away from her.

_"Always and forever," _Haley whispers to herself, mostly for her own comfort.

Nathans eyes dart back to her "What?" He asks.

Haley shakes her head, "Nothing." She turns around to leave. She wasn't going to get through to him tonight.

"Hales." Nathan says as she's turning to leave, "Is it really mine?"

Haley turns back around, tears welling up in her eyes. She nods.

"Yeah," Her voice cracks. Something inside her breaks, and Haley throws herself into Nathan's arms.

"Nathan, I'm so scared!" She cries into his shoulder.

Surprisingly he wraps his arms around her and rubs her back soothingly. As much as he hates to admit it, it feels good to have her back in his arms.

"It's all going to be okay," Nathan says to her gently.

"I'm sorry!" She cries, "Nathan, I'm so sorry!"

Haley kisses his neck then his lips. He responds to her lips almost immediately, and they engage in a passionate kiss. Then to her heartbreak, he pulls away and removes his arms from around her.

"Haley, I can't do this," Nathan tells her, "I'm sorry, listen you need to go. Alright?"

She pulls away and stares into his eyes.

"Please," He begs.

Haley sits herself up at the edge of his bed "I understand if you don't love me anymore."

She blinks away tears before turning to run out of the room. Nathan sits up.

"Always and Forever!" He calls after her, and she turns around. "That's what sucks Haley. I still do love you. I always will. I'll love our baby too. I just can't trust you."

Haley blinks away tears, and Nathan puts his head down sadly. Haley leaves his room and cries herself to sleep. When she wakes up the next morning, Nathan is long gone. Before she can even think about crying again, the horrible morning sickness that she has been having gets the best of her.

When she is finished throwing up, Haley looks up to see a figure standing in the doorway of the bathroom. Deb is staring down at Haley sadly, and by the sad look she is giving her, Haley can tell that she just knows. She knows Haley is pregnant. Haley wipes her mouth and stands up. She is unsure of what to do at first. Despite Deb being kind to her last night, Deb hadn't been the nicest to Haley before she had left for tour.

To Haley's surprise, Deb opens up her arms, and Haley runs into her mother in laws embrace gratefully. As Haley sobs in her arms, Deb keeps reassuring Haley that things would be okay. She kindly tells Haley that her job at the cafe was there whenever she was ready to come back.

Haley nods and thanks her through her sobs. She makes an offer for Haley to stay at the house with her until Dan gets out of the hospital. Haley politely declines claiming she would stay with Lucas or Peyton.

In the end, Haley stays with Lucas for a few days before joining her parents for the summer. Lucas gave his support on her pregnancy, but she could see the disappointment in her parents' eyes when they looked at her as much as they tried to hide it. Haley knew they were more disappointed in what she had done to Nathan more than her pregnancy. They oddly enough seemed happy about having another grandchild despite the fact she was only seventeen. She got married at sixteen, so what difference did a baby at seventeen make?

_August 2nd, 2005_

Come early August, Haley found herself back home in Tree Hill. Unsure of where to go first, she finds herself back at Nathan and her's old apartment. She wasn't sure why she ended up there. Nathan had moved out before he left for camp and put her things in storage. There was nothing there for her.

The first thing that catches her eye when she walks into the apartment is the portrait of herself on the wall with pink paint smeared all over it. As she stares at the painting, she has a heavy heart. Just by looking at it, she can feel Nathan's pain. The pain that she had caused.

Haley isn't sure how long she has been standing staring at Nathan's pain stain before she hears somebody come up behind her. She turns around to find none other than Brooke Davis standing behind her. Haley looks at her in confusion.

_What was Brooke doing here?_

Brooke stares at the pain stain. "Pretty angry, huh?" She asks Haley.

"Yeah," Haley says, "You think they would have painted over this by now,"

"I don't think that's ever going away," Brooke says.

Haley closes her eyes and lets out a breath. "You can probably tell that Nathan's not here. He moved out before he left for camp,"

Haley turns to face Brooke, and Brooke eyes her pregnant belly curiously. Haley figures Brooke already heard the gossip on her pregnancy from Peyton.

"Yeah, I know," Brooke says, shockingly not commenting on Haley being pregnant "I'd say welcome back, but I don't suppose you're staying."

"No, I am," Haley tells her, placing a hand on her stomach. It was something that she was finding herself subconsciously more and more.

"Oh well you might be staying, but you aren't staying here," Brooke says, "I just rented this place. For me." With that, Brooke walks away. Haley sighs and runs a hand through her hair. Brooke was just another person she had hurt by leaving. Realizing she has no place there anymore, she leaves.

Haley finds herself at the rivercourt. To her joy, she finds the person that she needs the most at that moment. To her alarm, he appears to be bent over in pain.

"Hey? Are you okay?" Haley asks, worry in her voice.

"That depends?"He asks her panting"Are you home for good."

"Or for bad?"

Lucas laughs, pulling her into a hug, he laughs harder when he feels her growing belly in between them.

"Ah, good!" He says, pulling away to rub at her belly. They both laugh.

They spend some time catching up at the river court before making there way to the cafe for some lunch.

"Hey, can a girl get a decent cup of joe around here?" Haley asks as she walks through the door. Karen jumps up in excitement and pulls Haley into a hug. Deb is right behind her.

"Oh, one song per cup! I've missed you, kiddo!"

"I've missed you too!" Haley tells her. Like Lucas, she rubs Haley's stomach in excitement. "Oh, look at you! You're getting so big! How far along are you now?"

"Twenty weeks," Haley says with a smile.

"I could use a cup of gin. I mean, coffee, myself." Deb says from behind them, "Karen?"

"Oh yeah, please!" Karen calls to her, "Coffee, not gin."

"Coffee, please!"Haley calls, "Just a small cup!"

"So what brings you around, Miss Jet-Setter?"Karen asks.

"Uh, well, um. Considering what they pay the opening act and how much a kid costs. I was kind of hoping for a job." Haley says sheepishly, laughing nervously.

Before Karen can say anything, Deb speaks up from behind the counter. "I asked Haley to come back to the cafe if it's okay with you."

"Oh, of course," Karen says kindly, "We'd love to have a big pop star performing in our new hip cafe!"

"Actually, I was just kind of hoping to waitress like before. " Haley says, shrugging her shoulders.

"Oh," Karen says, looking at something behind Haley. "Well, table five needs a cleanup. Let's see what you've got." Karen tosses a rag at Haley.

Haley gets straight to work, clearing off the table. As she begins to wipe the table down, something behind the table catches her eye. She zones out on the piano and is brought back to the first night that she ever sang for Nathan. She is broken out of her reverie when Lucas sets down her coffee in front of her.

"You know, um, I had my very first performance right here. Just for Nathan." Haley proudly tells Lucas with a smile.

Lucas is quiet for a moment before asking, "Have you talked to him since he left for camp?"

"No, he never picked up, so I sent letters. I sent him updates on my pregnancy and an ultrasound picture."

For the next few days, Haley stays with Karen and Lucas. She spends the majority of her time working at the cafe. Both Karen and Deb warned her about overworking herself, but she needed the money. She wanted to save up for an apartment for her and the baby to live in. After all, she couldn't live with Lucas and Karen forever. No matter how many times Karen reassured her, it was fine. Deb offered to pay for anything the baby needed. After all, it was her grandchild. Haley didn't feel right taking her money, though. She wanted to do everything on her own.

Haley got a surprise one day when Brooke sought her out at the cafe.

"How much for a broken heart with a side of regret?" Brooke asks, leaning over the counter.

"Uh, more than you want to know." Haley answers.

"So when you're done here, bring your stuff to the apartment."

Haley looks at her in surprise, "Why?"

"Because you're moving in with me," Brooke says plain and simply.

"_Why _would you do that? Are you sure you _want _to do that?" Haley asks Brooke. Looking at her like she is mildly insane.

"Because you need a place to live and I need rent money to pay for my new back to school wardrobe," Brooke explains while Haley is still staring at her like she is insane "So the way I see it, I look hot, and you don't get crabs at a shelter. Works for me!"

Before Haley could remind Brooke that she would have a baby in a few months and may not be the best choice for a roommate, Brooke is gone. Deciding she doesn't have a much better option at the moment, Haley takes Brooke up on her offer and brings her things to the apartment later that evening.

Once again, Nathan's painting on the wall captures her attention.

"Okay, here's the deal," Brooke tells Haley when she catches her staring at the painting in sadness "I've got room for you, but not a lot of pity. You did what you did, and it's done. Take it or leave it."

"I'll take it," Haley says with a smile.

"Alright, come on in roommate," Brooke says, and Haley follows her down the hallway towards the bedroom.

_ Boy, did she have a long road ahead of her. _


	2. Chapter Two

_August 10th, 2005 _

Haley settled into the routine of living with Brooke pretty quickly. She had mainly been spending her time working, settling into the apartment, and occasionally hanging it with Lucas or Brooke.

Brooke had given Haley roughly six feet of space in their bedroom that she was able to call her own. Along with a tiny twin bed to sleep on. It was rough, but Haley was trying to be grateful since Brooke was giving her somewhere to live. She had been procrastinating on unpacking her stuff in hopes that she and Nathan would work things out when he got back from camp. Then maybe she could live with him or they could find a new apartment together. Haley knew it was wishful thinking, but she just had to keep faith that they were going to work things out even though Nathan had been ignoring her for the past two months.

"Good morning, roommate!"Brooke chirps one morning as she walks into their bedroom. She was carrying two to-go cups from Karen's cafe. She hands one to Haley.

"Good morning. Thanks," Haley says, taking a sip and realizing Brooke had gotten her tea rather than coffee. Since Haley had moved in, Brooke had been very attentive towards Haley's pregnancy. Making sure she was taking her vitamins, making sure she was eating healthy and not drinking too much caffeine, and badgering her about working so much. As suffocating as some of it was, Haley knew Brooke's heart was in the right place and much appreciated it.

"Still getting all moved in?"Brooke asks.

"Uh, with the six feet of space that you gave me? Yeah, sure," Haley responds, tiredly running a hand through her hair.

"Good!" Brooke responds with a smile. "So any fun plans for the day?"

"Just work," Haley tells her.

Brooke gives her a disapproving look "That's all you ever do anymore. You shouldn't be working so much. It's bad for the baby. You also need to have some fun,"

"I have fun-"Haley tries to argue, but Brooke cuts her off.

"Sitting around moping about Nathan doesn't count as fun! Speaking of which, I've noticed you haven't unpacked. Little naive, don't you think?"

"No, no, just stalling."Haley says while Brooke looks at her with pity, " I mean it's like if I unpack my split with Nathan will be more real."

"I'd hate to say it, but it's real enough already," Brooke tells her sadly.

"Yeah, I know." Haley sighs.

Haley groans, falling back onto her bed.

"Okay. No, no, none of that!" Brooke quickly reprimands. "Come here, I have a surprise for you," Brooke says, grabbing Haley's arm. "Come on, come on! This will be fun!" She says, dragging a pouting Haley out of the room and towards the living room."This is totally going to cheer you up!"

Haley's eyes widen in amazement. The living room and dining room had been given a complete makeover since she had gone to bed the night before.

"Whoa! This is amazing!" Haley exclaims in amazement, "_When did you do this?_"

"Last night while you were sleeping," Brooke answers proudly, "You totally sleep like a dead person!"

Haley slaps Brooke playfully. "Shut up. This looks awesome!"

"Thanks!" Brooke says with a smile, "By the way, I'm kinda gonna need to ask for next month's rent now, cause I sort of spent this month's rent on the couch and the rugs and things."

"Okay," Haley laughs. "Although you really shouldn't have to pay for this stuff yourself. We're roommates now. I'll go half."

Even though money was tight for Haley right now, especially with having to save up for the baby, it was fair to Brooke to split rent and utilities while she was living there especially since Brooke had been kind enough to take Haley in after everything she had done last spring.

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

"Oh, I was hoping you'd say that cause I kinda ate half of your rainbow sherbert last night while I was putting up the wall mural," Brooke tells Haley, hoping she wouldn't be too annoyed. Rainbow sherbert had been her craving of the week.

"Where'd you get it anyway?"Haley asks.

"The freezer..." Brooke answers with confusion in her voice.

"The wall mural Brooke." Says Haley.

"Oh, Peyton made it for me!" Brooke answers cheerfully. "It's the French Riviera!"

"Gosh, I haven't talked to Peyton in like forever." Haley says, "Lucas filled me in on her mom situation. What the heck?"

"Yeah, well, the mom situation is on high alert right now, cause Ellie is back in town."

"How's Peyton taking it?"Haley asks worriedly.

"Well-" Before Brooke could answer, her laptop dinged from the kitchen. "Oh, there she is now!"

"She's sending me a last-minute flyer for the party tonight." Brooke tells Haley as she heads over to check her laptop, "Speaking of which, you are not allowed to sulk tonight!" Brooke tells Haley sternly.

"I don't sulk!"Haley argues.

"You sulk! You're a sulker!"Brooke throws back at her "But tonight you're gonna have fun! Just like we talked about. After all, it's a party. It's supposed to be-"

Brooke broke off upon opening the attachment Peyton had sent her. The attachment revealed a flyer more suitable for a horror movie rather than a beach party.

"Dark and depressing?!" Brooke exclaims. "Well, you asked how she's taking it, there you go," Brooke tells Haley while she stares at the poster on Brooke's computer screen in surprise.

**XXX**

To Haley's dismay. Karen had called to tell her that they did not need her today. So now she was stuck with nothing to do up until the party started later. She halfway wondered if this was some plot from Karen, Deb, and Brooke to get her to stop working so much. Haley decided that maybe she would take Brooke's advice and get a start on unpacking since she had nothing else better to do. She had a good chunk of her unpacking done around lunchtime when she decided to take a break.

Haley walks out into the living room to find Brooke straddling Lucas on the couch.

"Oh, it's _way _too early in the day for me to see this," Haley says as she reaches in the fridge for a bottle of water. They quickly break apart.

"Well, what hour would you prefer to watch us then?" Brooke giggles. Lucas merely looks uncomfortable.

"Oh, how about never o'clock? Or maybe, uh, I don't know, quarter after stab out my eyes? Either one's really good for me!" Haley answers sarcastically.

"Oh, by the way, that couch hasn't been stain guarded yet, so you might want to get a room instead," Haley says, opening her water.

"Well, if we get a room, then you're going to be stuck on this tiny couch." Brooke points out.

"That's a good point," Haley says, going to sit at the counter.

"Give me a minute, and we'll go to the beach," Brooke tells Lucas before getting up and skipping towards the bedroom. She shoots Haley a smile as she walks past.

Haley gives Lucas a pointed look.

"Brooke asked me to help her out." He says without meeting Haley's eyes.

"And by Brooke, you mean your part-time girlfriend, Brooke?" Haley questions, leaning back against the counter.

"We're gonna set up for the end of summer thing," Lucas says as he comes to stand in the kitchen with Haley.

"Mhmm. What's up with that anyway?" Haley asks.

Lucas looks at her strangely. "Well, you see, there's a season called summer Haley. And when that ends, another season called fall starts right up."

Haley rolls her eyes and laughs, "Okay, rephrasing! What's up with all of the part-time girlfriend stuff?"

Lucas shrugs, " I don't know. Right now, we're on Brooke's terms. I'll keep you posted, though!" He says, patting Haley on the shoulder.

"Oh, gee, thanks!" Haley says with a sarcastic smile. She opens her water to take another sip.

"I also came to check on you," Lucas tells her "Nathan was in a pretty bad mood this morning at the River Court. I thought that maybe that might have had something to do with you."

Haley just about chokes on her water.

_He was back?_

"Nathan's _home_?" Haley asks in surprise.

"You didn't know he was back?" Lucas asks, looking equally just as surprised.

"No," Haley responds with mild annoyance in her voice, "No, I didn't."

"I'm sorry, Haley," Lucas says apologetically as Haley turns around, setting her water down and going into the closet behind her. "I thought you knew.."

"Can you just tell Brooke that I'll um just see her tonight?" Haley asks, slinging her purse over her shoulder. A moment later, she is out the door.

A little while later, Haley is on the front step of the Scott house ringing the doorbell.

She is filled with dread by who answers the door.

"Well, well. If it isn't my beloved daughter in law." Dan says snidely.

Haley sighs and follows him into the house.

"Haley, it's so nice of you to come by and check on me following my accident!" Dan says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Oh, by the way, I think I found a pair of your black gloves. Leather, right?"

"Uh, no, I don't own any black gloves, Mr. Scott."

She glances around her uncomfortably, looking for any sign of Nathan. Or even Deb. Anybody to get her away from Dan Scott.

"I know your parents aren't around. So just call me Dad." He tells her, making her feel even more uneasy than she already was.

"I'd really just like to see Nathan," Haley says as politely as she can manage.

"He didn't tell you he was coming home," Dan says in realization. Haley just stares at him and fiddles with her hands nervously.

"Sometimes, I'm so proud of that kid!" Dan smirks.

"I'd offer you a drink, but I wouldn't want to cause any harm to that precious cargo of yours. Congratulations, by the way, I'm sure you and Keller must be so excited!"

Haley narrows her eyes, "I am, and I'm sure Nathan is too in his own way." She says coldly.

"Yeah I wouldn't count on that one," Dan laughs darkly.

"What are you doing here anyway? Deb said you moved out."

"Yeah, sucks, doesn't it?" Dan says, taking a seat on the couch. "My marriage is over. Who knew you and I could have so much in common after all?"

"Could you please just tell Nathan that I'm here," Haley says, having had enough of his games.

"Oh, he's not home," Dan says casually taking a sip of his drink.

Haley looks at him in disbelief before getting up and storming out.

After a half-hour of checking the river court and some of Nathan's other haunts, she finally spots his car parked near the fieldhouse at the high school. When she doesn't find him in the gym, she checks the weight room. Sure enough, he is laid out across the weight bench, pressing a weight.

"Hey," She says softly as he sets down the weight and sits up.

"I saw your car. I didn't know you were home."

"Yeah, I know," Nathan says, wiping the sweat off his face with a towel.

"Did you get my letters? And the picture I sent?"

"Yeah," Nathan replies shortly. He hadn't even looked at her.

"Its good to see you." She says softly.

"Look, Haley. I can't do this, alright?" Nathan snips.

"What? You can't do what?" Haley asks in disbelief. She takes a few steps towards him, but he keeps his back turned to her. "You can't talk to me? You didn't even tell me you were home, Nathan. What were you going to do? Pass me in the hallway at school and not say a word?"

"I didn't even know if you would be in school!" Nathan says, finally turning to look at her. He glances down at her stomach before quickly looking back up at her eyes.

"I told you I'm back for good."

Nathan sighs and directs his eyes down at the ground.

Haley brushes off the sting of the fact that he obviously doesn't believe her.

"Anyway, um, I don't know if you heard, but I'm staying in our apartment. Brooke rented it and asked me to be her roommate."

"You and Brooke, huh?"

"Yeah I really didn't see that one coming," Haley laughs " Oh, by the way, if this basketball thing doesn't work out, you may have a future as a painter." Haley attempts to joke, but Nathan doesn't as much as crack a smile. There is an awkward silence before Haley finally speaks again.

"Nathan, we have some decisions to make," Haley says in a more serious tone. "Especially with the baby coming,"

"Yeah. Yeah, we do," Nathan agrees.

"Yeah. Well, I guess I'll be at the beach tonight." Haley says, nervously fiddling with her wedding ring. "There's a party,"

Nathan laughs without humor and rolls his eyes "Okay."

Haley turns to leave, taking the hint that he obviously didn't want her there. Just as she reaches the door, she turns to face him again. He's busied himself by switching out the weights on the weight bench. It was as though their conversation had not had any effect on him.

"You've changed," Haley says softly.

"Yeah," Nathan says, not bothering to face her "I guess I have you to thank for that."

His words feel like a blow to her gut, and she hurries out before he can see her tears.

_He hadn't even asked how the baby was doing. Did he really not care anymore? _

**XXX**

Haley spent the remainder of the afternoon dwelling over her conversation with Nathan before being dragged to the beach by Brooke at sunset. Brooke had dressed her in a white crop top that exposed her pregnant belly and a blue boho style skirt. She had felt uncomfortable wearing such an outfit while pregnant, but luckily nobody seemed to be paying her much attention. It also eased her anxiety when she noticed another pregnant girl about her age.

"People have had fire rituals since the beginning of time. For some people its witchcraft, for others, its religion. But for us, it marks the beginning of our senior year!"

The crowd cheers as Brooke gives a small speech to kick off the end of the summer bonfire. Haley stands next, Lucas. She scans the faces around her and is disappointed when she does not spot her husband. She tells herself that maybe he is running late or is just perhaps planning on coming later.

"I know we have to go back to school soon," Brooke continues, "But tonight, as long as this fire still burns. Summer is still ours!"

With that, Brooke lights the bonfire, and the crowd cheers again. A few moments later, everybody looks around in confusion as Peyton kicks off the party with a slightly depressing song.

After a couple of hours of mostly keeping to herself and questioning why she even came to this thing in the first place, Haley finds Lucas leaning against the lifeguard station. He is glowering at Brooke as she talks to a group of guys.

"Hey!" Haley calls, "How's that casual dating thing working out for you?"

"So-so."

"It could be worse," Haley says as she walks past him "Nathan didn't even show up."

A little while later, she is sitting by the fire again when Tim approaches her.

"Tutor girl! Check it out! The stars are blue! Do your song!" He shoves a guitar in her face.

"Uh, no thanks," Haley declines politely. Singing was the last thing she wanted to do.

"Why not?" Tim whines.

"Cause I don't want to."

"Oh, come on! Don't be stuck up!" Tim pushes "I'll sing the Chris Keller part-"

"Tim I really don't wanna sing-"

"_Please!_ Let me-" Before Tim can finish, the guitar is ripped out of his hands and tossed into the fire. Haley looks up to see the figure of her husband stalking away.

Tim stares at the guitar for a moment before running off to catch up with Nathan.

Haley smiled to herself.

_He had shown up. _

"Hey, girly!" Haley calls to Peyton a little while later, "I've left you like a million messages! Where you been?" Haley asks, taking a seat beside her.

"Around," Peyton answers shortly. Peyton doesn't offer anything else to the conversation.

"Drinking, huh?" Haley asks in an attempt to start a conversation, "I would probably join you if I could with the night I'm having. It's like Tim wants me to play, Nathan won't even talk to me-"

"Well, it's not like you don't deserve it!" Peyton cuts her off harshly, and Haley stares at her in surprise. Peyton changes the song to "When The Stars Go Blue" before storming away. Haley stares after her before putting her head down sadly. She knew she had messed up, but she didn't need to be continuously reminded of it.

"Hey?" A familiar voice asks, "Can I talk to you?"

Haley looks up to find herself face to face with Nathan. She nods and gives him a small smile.

"Everything still okay with the baby?" He asks her as they walk along the beach.

"Yeah," She sighs. "Yeah, everything's fine. I'm able to find out what I'm having whenever I want. I was waiting until you got back to find out in case you wanted to come with."

He nods, "Yeah. Yeah sure. Just um, let me know when."

She nods, and there is a silence between them.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry," Nathan says after a moment "I should have told you I was back in town,"

"It's okay,"

"Not really. Look, I've been avoiding you because I'm still mad, Haley. About everything. I don't see that changing anytime soon."

"You wanna know the last two times I came to the beach?" Nathan asks after another moment of silence. "For our wedding and to burn the wedding wall."

"So that's what happened to it."

"Well, first, I broke it in half with the keyboard I bought you. Then I burned it. Sorry."

"Nathan," Haley sighs "I want to ask you something, and I really don't want you to take it the wrong way."

Nathan stops walking and turns to face her.

"I need to know what you want from me or what you want from us. What are we now?"

"I don't know." Nathan shrugs.

"Well, what do you want us to be?" Haley pushes.

"I don't know Haley. I can't answer that right now!"

"I can. I want us to be together!"

"_Why?"_ Nathan asks, his voice gaining an edge. " I mean, we're so far away from who we used to be! Why even fight for it!"

"Because I love you," Haley says softly. "And I want us to be a family," She says, placing a hand on her stomach.

Nathan sighs and rolls his "Because that worked out so well for my parents," He mutters.

"Well listen, basketball seasons coming up and I'm going to concentrate on that. So you should do your thing, whatever it is. School, music... Something other than me. I'll do my best with the baby stuff, but that's about it. Because I really don't know when I'm gonna be ready for us again. Or even if I'm gonna be ready for us at all."

"Nathan, don't say that! God!"

"Haley, I'm not saying it to be mean, okay? I don't _like _hurting you. I'm just trying to be honest with you,"

Haley sighs and shakes her head. Obvious hurt and frustration were written across her face.

"I'm going to head back. Alright?" Nathan asks gently. When she doesn't respond, he turns to walk away.

"Nathan!" Haley calls and turns back to face her.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Okay," He says, looking as though he doesn't quite believe her.

She is still sitting by the water sometime later when somebody else sits down next to her. A quick glance tells her that it is Lucas.

"And then there were two." He says.

Haley says nothing. She continues to stare straight ahead, a look of utter dismay on her face.

"Hey, it's not so bad!" Lucas attempts to cheer Haley up. "This is how we started last school year and look how that turned out!"

Once again, Haley doesn't acknowledge his words and continues to stare out at the ocean.

A few moments later, Lucas gently grabs Haley's arm. "Hey, let's take a walk!"

Haley lets out a breath and nods. She shoots Lucas a small smile as he pulls her to her feet. They only walk a few feet until Lucas stops them. Haley follows his gaze and spots Brooke flirting with a group of guys.

"Give me a minute," Lucas says, heading off in Brooke's direction. Haley nods, running a hand through her hair and rubbing her stomach. Lucas exchanges a few words with Brooke before rejoining Haley.

"Its gonna be okay, Hales," Lucas reassures her as they walk along the beach. "As a matter of fact I think that this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Again."

Haley giggles, and for a moment everything feels okay. For a moment, she believes that Lucas is right.

_Maybe everything would fall into place. _


End file.
